Results 20,461-20,480 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Appeals (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned applied for family income supplement (FIS) on 6th July 2015. The claim was refused by a deciding officer (DO) on the grounds that the person concerned was not working the required number of hours in order to qualify. The person concerned appealed this decision and the appeal was allowed by an appeals officer (AO) in November 2016. Unfortunately, the family income...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Homeless Persons Data (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy is aware from the response to an earlier parliamentary question, the New Communities Unit (NCU) of my Department offers assistance to families who are primarily non-Irish, homeless and generally without recourse to any weekly income. The main focus of this unit is to ensure that families who have an entitlement receive an income maintenance payment, under the terms of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. As part of Budget 2017, I announced an additional €5.7 million for school meals which will benefit over 50,000 children. Additional funding is being provided to DEIS schools already participating in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion each year, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I do understand that the members concerned are anxious that these matters are settled in a timely manner. I want to reassure the Deputy that it is my intention to try and resolve the outstanding issues in relation to the company’s pension schemes as quickly as possible but unfortunately the issues involved are quite complex and are taking time to tease through. Officials of my...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the following tables. - Social Welfare claims by average waiting times (weeks) 31 October 2016 Scheme Average Waiting Time Jobseeker's Benefit 1 Jobseeker's Allowance 2 One-Parent Family Payment 6 State Pension Contributory (Dom) 6 Widow’s, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As a result of an appeals officer’s decision, carer’s allowance was awarded to the person concerned on 5 December 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 29 December 2016. Arrears for the period 12 November 2015 to 28 December 2016 will issue shortly. The person concerned was notified on 5 December 2016 of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rental Accommodation Scheme Payments (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Rent supplement is currently supporting approximately 49,700 tenants at a total cost of €267 million this year. The strategic policy direction of my Department is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of being a short-term income support scheme. Under the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to those with a long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Services Programme (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Community Services Programme (CSP) is designed to address locally identified gaps in the provision of services to communities and to utilise the potential of community assets and resources that are already in place to support of delivery of services and to improve community well-being. Funding is provided to support the employment of staff to deliver the service. There are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion each year, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As a result of an appeals officer’s decision, carer’s allowance was awarded to the person concerned on 5 December 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 8 December 2016. Arrears for the period 3 December 2015 to 7 December 2016 have also issued. The person concerned was notified on 5 December 2016 of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the matter...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Legislation (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The funding standard provides the regulatory mechanism for ensuring that a defined benefit (DB) pension scheme can live up to the promised level of pension benefits and a benchmark against which the health of a scheme can be tested. The funding standard is a wind-up standard, and is intended to approximate the monies needed to secure the benefits if the scheme was wound up and the accrued...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disablement Benefit (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Disablement benefit is one of the payments under the occupational injuries benefit scheme operated by my Department. It covers people who are or were engaged in employment that is/was insurable for occupational injuries and who suffer a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of an occupational injury or prescribed occupational disease. The scheme was introduced and took effect from 1...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: A Christmas Bonus payment of 85% of the appropriate weekly amount is to be paid to all customers on a long term Social Welfare payment. In order to qualify for this bonus the person concerned must have be in receipt of a Jobseekers Allowance payment in excess of 390 days. In the case of this person he has been paid a total of 266 days and therefore does not have an entitlement for this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for Carer's Allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 7 September 2016. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal relating to the Illness Benefit application of the person concerned was initially disallowed by an Appeals Officer by way of a summary decision. A summary decision may be made where an Appeals Officer is of the opinion that the case is of such a nature that it can be determined on the basis of documentary evidence and without...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to remember the Social Insurance Fund, out of which contributory pensions are paid, is back in surplus this year for the first time since 2008. As it stands, we do not need to increase employee's or employer's PRSI or have recourse to the general taxpayer. It is important, however, that we keep it that way.We all know the consequences of underfunded pension schemes and an...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Those are different arrangements to those of the State pension - contributory. I do not propose to make any changes to the minimum paid contribution condition for accessing the scheme, as that would allow individuals who do not qualify for the State pension because of their existing paid contribution record between five and ten years to qualify just by paying voluntary contributions. That...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: There are many arguments for and against raising employer's PRSI. Perhaps we will have them another day. There are arguments in favour and arguments against as well. The difficulty we have with the 520 week rule or the 260 week rule is that it is simply not the solution in the medium term. Few people get any other pension by contributing to this extent. A person can get a full pension by...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Employers and employees pay into that trust and have benefits that are projected. However, they are neither guaranteed by the employer nor by the State. What Independent News and Media has done will have to be subject to the approval of the High Court. I have spoken to the Pensions Authority and the Attorney General about what could be done in that case. I know that in a different case...